Howdy, Playwrights! Below is your list of 25 play submission opportunities with May 2019 deadlines.
Spring is a time for renewal and regrowth, so let that spirit move you to submit to these open calls!
Remember: What’s written below is just a quick rundown of what the theaters are looking for. Don’t forget to check out the submissions pages and read each of the theater’s guidelines carefully.
| Name | Length | Nature of Opportunity | Deadline | Location | Add’l Info |
| Aurand Harris Memorial Playwriting Award | Full Length | Plays for young audiences. Must not have been previously published and not have been previously produced by a professional or Equity company. Open to all playwrights. | 5/1/19 | Hamden, Connecticut | n/a |
| Matchbox Children’s Theatre | 60 mins | Plays must be suitable for children and adults to perform for children. Musicals ok. | 5/1/19 | Austin, Minnesota | n/a |
| National Black Theatre | Full Length | 18-month residency. Black playwrights only. A stipend will be provided. | 5/1/19 | NYC | n/a |
| Nylon Fusion Theatre Co | 10 mins | MYTH Theme. What is myth? What does it mean to you? Do we need them? Do they help or hurt? | 5/1/19 | NYC | n/a |
| Z Space | Any length | Un-produced “problematic” comedic play. | 5/1/19 | San Francisco, California | n/a |
| A Light in Dark Places | 5-15 pages | Theme: Suicide Prevention | 5/3/19 | Los Angeles, California | Fee: $20 Prize: $50 |
| Players Theatre Short Play & Musical Festival | max 15 mins | Short plays and musicals. Playwrights are responsible for producing their own play. Theme: NYC – Only in New York | 5/7/19 | NYC | Fee: $150, $100 refundable |
| Austin Film Festival | Full Length | Full-length plays, original or adapted. | 5/15/19 | Austin, Texas | Fee: $25 Prize: $1,000 |
| Northwest Playwrights Alliance/University of Idaho | max 10 mins | Northwest playwrights. Theme: Verisimilitude | 5/15/19 | Washington; Idaho; & other locations | No Fee |
| Rockford New Play Festival | max 10 mins | Theme: “Over… The Edge.” Plays that explore society’s artificial boundaries: the effect they have on the people of both sides— and those who risk everything to cross over. | 5/15/19 | Rockford, Illinois | No Fee Prize: $200 |
| Theatre Oxford | max 10 pages | Original plays only, never before produced. | 5/15/19 | Oxford, Mississippi | Fee: $10 Prize: $1,000 |
| Toronto Queer Theatre Festival | 10-20 mins | Short plays written by LGBTQ+ writers about the LGBTQ+ experience. Playwrights must be from the Greater Toronto Area. *If selected, each company is responsible to cast and rehearse their own play. | 5/15/19 | Toronto, Canada | n/a |
| Vintage Theatre | Full Length | Mystery/thriller/suspense play. Any style. The play may not have been previously produced. Musicals ok. | 5/15/19 | Aurora, Colorado | Fee: $10 |
| Troy Foundry Theatre | Any length | Plays that are film-themed, either dealing with or based within the world of filmmaking, the art of filmmaking (small or bigger budget) or having to do with the life of filmmakers and/or film actors. | 4/26/19 | Troy, New York | No Fee |
| Village Playwrights | max 10 mins | Playwrights must be from Metro New York area. Plays must be about the Stonewall Rebellion, the Stonewall era (1960s) and/or the legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion. Playwrights must produce the reading of their own play including casting and a minimum of 2 hours rehearsal. | 5/27/19 | NYC | No Fee |
| Marion Thauer Brown Audio Drama Scriptwriting Competition | max 30 mins | All genres considered. The script should be “family friendly.” | 5/28/19 | n/a | No Fee Prize: $250 |
| Benchmark Theatre | Any length | US submissions only. New or previously produced works. | 5/30/19 | Denver, Colorado | No Fee |
| Emerald Theatre Company | 10 mins | Theme: “The Gift of Pride.” The one main requirement is that a box/gift must be given to a character or “present” on stage in each vignette. | 5/30/19 | Memphis, Tennessee | Fee: $10 Prize: $300 |
| Little Wonder Radio Plays | 10-15 mins | Original, unpublished full cast audio dramas. Open to writers of colour and/or writers with a disability. Int’l submissions ok. | 5/30/19 | Paris, France | No Fee |
| Playhouse on the Square | Full Length | Original, unproduced or unpublished plays or musicals. | 5/30/19 | Memphis, Tennessee | Fee: $15 Prize: $750 |
| Playing on Air | 10-25 pages | Short comedic play for radio and podcast. Must be original and unproduced. | 5/31/19 | NYC | No Fee Prize: $7,500 |
| Raze The Space | max 10 mins | Open to playwrights around the world. Must be 18 or over. Theme: “Lost and Found.” Plays must not have been previously performed, published or produced. Note: Submissions window opens on May 1, 2019. Do not submit before May 1! | 5/31/19 | Los Angeles, California | No Fee Prize: $250 |
| The Bechdel Group | 20-35 pages | New plays, scripts in development, partial scripts, drafts – anything in progress. Must pass the Bechdel Test. Must support the mission of fostering strong, complex, dynamic roles for women. | 5/31/19 | NYC | n/a |
| Playwrights Offering Free Feedback | Full Length | Full-length trade program. You must read a play and give feedback, and in return will have an opp to send a play and get feedback from other playwright. | Year Round | n/a | n/a |
| Trade A Play Tuesday | 10 mins | Send in 10-min play and get same-day feedback. You must also read 10 pages of another playwright’s work, and give thoughtful feedback. Runs every Tuesday. | Year Round | n/a | n/a |
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